BATHROOMS & SHOWERS
One year on, BMJ caught up with Lakes sales & marketing director Mike Tattam to see how the company’s Lakes Partners initiative has flourished.
PERFECT PARTNERS I
n February 2020, BMJ interviewed Lakes about the imminent launch of its Customer Commitment Charter and a new partnership programme for merchants who supported the brand through showrooms and displays. One year on, its 150th customer has just signed up, but that success hasn’t come without its challenges, as Lakes sales & marketing director Mike Tattam explains: “The official launch of Lakes Partners was in March last year,” he says. “We could never have imagined the way the world was to change over the coming year and how our benefits scheme would take on a very different significance to our customers.”
The main driver behind the development of Lakes Partners was that clicks don’t replace bricks, and the company recognised that big ticket items like its showering spaces are products that customers still want to see in person before they commit to buying. Online product research is great for comparing prices and features, Tattam says, but it doesn’t replace the showroom experience – the benefit of seeing a showering space in person, feeling the quality of it, hearing the sound the door makes when it closes and speaking to experts on what will work best for your bathroom space and lifestyle needs. “To reward and encourage stockists that dedicate showroom space to our products, we wanted to give them additional benefits to help them sell. So we came up with our Customer Commitment Charter – which underpins Lakes Partners – to offer a graduated programme of benefits to merchants. In essence, the more a branch commits to Lakes, the more Lakes commits to the branch.”
There are four customer category levels in the Charter, reflecting the fact that stockists are not all the same and each has different resources, ambitions and potential. The motivation and encouragement is there to progress, and as merchants move through the levels, they unlock more features and benefits to help them sell even more.
“Despite the timing of the official launch – just weeks before the first lockdown – Lakes Partners has struck a chord. Fast forward one year, and we have just signed up our 150th customer and we fully expect the number of partners to rise even higher in 2021. “One reason that merchants are signing up to Lakes Partners is that the extra support we offer is helping them capitalise on the recent uplift in demand for home improvements,” Tattam explains.
According to the Bank of England, UK households have built up record savings during the pandemic by pocketing money that would have been spent on commuting, holidays and eating out. The collective figure could be as much as £125 billion in savings, of which £6.25 billion is expected to be spent as the vaccine is rolled out.
“Home improvements is likely to be where a good proportion of the money will be spent, as time at home during lockdown has highlighted all those projects that homeowners want to get done to improve their living space. The latest research suggests a new bathroom is particularly high on the wish list, so merchants who showcase exciting new designs and inspiring product choices will be well positioned to capitalise on the trend and win new customers,” he adds. Lakes has created a suite of sales and
May 2021
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marketing materials to help customers maximise selling opportunities. One particularly timely addition to the arsenal has been the launch of the exclusive Lakes Partners online showroom platform. This gives installers and homeowners a showroom experience of Lakes products from their own homes and it has been invaluable in helping merchants generate interest in our showering spaces.
“Hosted within a merchant’s own website, all the leads and enquiries from the online showroom go directly to them to close the deal. There’s no substitute for seeing products in person and the human touch that only branch staff can provide, but together online and offline tools can be doubly effective in closing sales,” Tattam says, adding that the feedback from customers bears this out. Tim Dunning, director of PC Building Supplies recognises the benefits of Lakes Partners to its sales: “We signed up to Lakes Partners as Lakes has a good range of products, they offer great service and next day delivery. We added the online showroom for the same reasons. Lakes offers a great stock of products and customers can look at the brochures online then call in to us to see the products on display and make an order. This all helps us sell,” he says.
Paul Burnett, commercial manager at Gibbs & Dandy has been equally impressed: “Being in a partner programme benefits us and strengthens our relationship with a brand like Lakes, who are known for their quality, service and great name in the industry. They share the same values as us and we want to offer this to our customers.”
Tattam adds: “What’s clear from this feedback is that what we are offering through Lakes Partners is the support our customers need to grow their businesses sustainably and help them thrive in the most challenging of times.” BMJ
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